Friday, October 28, 2016

Windham resident Taylor Dyke, 19, won The Build Ford
Tough 2016 AQHYA Team Penning World Championship in Oklahoma City for the
second year in a row. Last year she was the reserve champion, according to her
father Jeff Dyke. The competition took place in August.

Taylor is in the white shirt.

Taylor and her team competed against 2,180 entries for
the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, all
competing for 35 world championships.

The Ford Youth World is the pinnacle event for the
American Quarter Horse exhibitors ages 19 and under around the world. Taylor
will compete in the adult AQHA world competition next year.

She will also start culinary school in January along with
continuing her riding.

To see an interview with Taylor and her teammates, visit
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ8nN8tNii0

While
Trump and Clinton have dominated the airwaves for the past few months, Maine
simultaneously awaits citizen initiative legislation on recreational marijuana
regulation, a tax for public schools, gun control, minimum-wage increases, and
ranked-choice voting. As Maine voters wearily prepare for November 8th, the
spread of Question 1 through 5 propaganda along our roadsides and intersections
has folks wondering just what’s behind all that “Yes on…” or “No on…” fury.
Since it’s never elaborated on the posters, here’s some insight to this year’s
issues:

Question
I: Do you want to allow the possession and use of marijuana under state law
by persons of at least age 21; and allow cultivation, manufacture,
distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products subject to
state regulation, taxation, and local ordinance.

This
legislation would implement a new system of regulation in order to provide a
legal recreational cannabis market to Maine’s non-medical population. The
Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol has worked hard for the past few
years with members of Maine’s Medical Marijuana Program, and others, in order
to outline vocabulary that best supported their intentions for this initiative.

Supporters
of the bill speak of tax revenue, job opportunities, and legal moralism in
garnering votes. The opposition poses concerns with regulating a plant as
alcohol while it’s simultaneously regulated as a medicine, and how having two
parallel systems of regulation could potentially impact medical marijuana
infrastructure throughout the State of Maine. Maine was the first state to
decriminalize the cannabis plant in 1978, and was among some of the first to
legalize its medicinal use in 1998 and some are nervous of how the two could coexist.

While
the actual legislation is riddled with clauses specifically stating “this
chapter may not be construed to limit any privileges or rights [granted]… under
the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act”, it’s implicitly suggested that this
legislature promotes a production-based marijuana industry. Bangor Daily News,
in opposition to the bill, noted that adding a new system of regulation for
police to integrate may not be wise with the growing opiate/heroin epidemic.

Many
caregivers are worried that particular aspects do not support the efforts of
small-businesses and farmers, as industrial approaches historically don’t bode
well for the little guys. Whichever way Maine goes with Question I, it’s
important to note that it has no effect on the Federal prohibition of cannabis,
so you may still be penalized for use and possession of the plant on Federal
property.

Question
II: Do you want to add a 3% tax on individual Maine taxable income above
$200,000 to create a state fund that would provide direct support for student
learning in kindergarten through 12th grade public education?

This
bill would establish and support the Fund to Advance Public Kindergarten to
Grade 12 Education in order to improve “the ability of the State to reach the
annual target of 55 percent, specified in statute, for the state share of the total
cost of funding public education,” as the bill summarizes. It also specifically
states that the generated funds would be used “for increasing the direct
support for student learning rather than administrative costs.”

The
idea is to bolster State funding for K-12 public education, through the
establishment of this fund and financial backing from Maine’s upper middle
class. While this doesn’t seem as exciting as pot or guns, it holds great
significance in reaching our state’s annual mandate of 55 percent funding for
public schools and their staff. Teachers, school nurses, librarians and others
would have access to funds in order to stock their classrooms and offices
without it costing them, personally.

Teachers
and school staff are among some of the most under-valued and under-paid
employees in our country, and at a time when education and development are of
critical value. It’s common knowledge how people feel about taxes. Some see
this as taking hard-earned money from someone and simply giving it to
another, others consider it much more like an investment.

Not
only would this 3 percent tax provide security where it’s most needed, both
monetarily for a teacher struggling to stock her classroom and refrigerator at
the same time, and for the varying districts that need a few more teacher
assistants and tutors than another. It also sets the example that we value and
encourage education, which the youth will not only see in politics, but,
regardless, will experience in the classroom.

Question
III: Do you want to require background checks prior to the sale or transfer
of firearms between individuals not licensed as firearms dealers, with failure
to do so punishable by law, and with some exceptions for family members,
hunting, self-defense, lawful competitions, and shooting range activity?

Since
the Brady Bill was enacted in 1994, it has effectively prevented 2.8 million
gun sales to prohibited buyers, according to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence. Yet, research estimates that around 40 percent of firearms are
obtained without a safeguard, such as online, independent, and gun show
sales/transfers. Some people believe closing those few gaps could help.

This
legislation came from a skeleton built on Michael Bloomberg’s bill for New
York’s gun laws. Every Town For Gun Safety, Mainer’s For Responsible Gun
Ownership, the Maine Municipal Association, and a number of law enforcement
have publicized support for the bill. However, the Maine Warden Service, 12 of
16 Maine Sheriffs, and proponents of limiting government have opposed the bill
with the usual rhetoric.

While
criminals are gonna get guns regardless of the laws, and only
law-abiding citizens may be impacted by new background check laws, it is
undeniable that remaining inactive on gun responsibility and accessibility should
not be an option any longer. Since Sandy Hook the debate has flared up with
its repetitive jabs and passionate points from both sides, only to stagnate
until another round of grisly slaughter brings us, briefly, back to the issue.

While
gun rights and responsibility are key to a successful hunting tradition, as
well as Maine communities, we ought to wonder, whether or not this initiative
passes, if both sides of the debate would be willing to unite to fight for the re-institution of gun education in Maine schools. After all, an educated
populous is the best defense against the charlatans that attempt to exploit our
ignorance.

Question
IV: Do you want to raise the minimum hourly wage of $7.50 to $9 in 2017,
with annual $1 increases up to $12 in 2020, and annual cost-of-living increases
thereafter; and do you want to raise the direct wage for service workers who
receive tips from half the minimum wage to $5 in 2017, with annual $1 increases
until it reaches the adjusted minimum wage?

This
bill would, effective 1st January 2016, increase the hourly minimum wage to
$9/hour, and by a dollar per hour each year until 2020, where at $12/hour, it
will appropriately increase at the same rate as the cost of living.
Furthermore, service industry minimum wage for workers receiving tips would
change from $3.75/hour to $5/hour, with annual $1/hour increases until it
matches the regular minimum wage, which is to occur no sooner than 2024.

While
countless opponents of minimum wage increase cite small-business failure, job
losses, and increased costs in the marketplace, there is an important economic
consideration that is notoriously absent from such rhetoric. Wages haven’t been
adjusted to inflation since the 1970s, and the Economic Policy Institute reports
that the lowest-paid workers in America have lost five percent of their
purchasing power since Ronald Reagan became president.

We’re
living in the post-recession world, where technology is in hyperdrive and
productivity has no comparison to our workforce capability. People today work
harder and longer for far less than in previous decades, and it’s worsening
each year. Poverty wages decrease customers’ buying power and encourage
them to spend where capable; often with conglomerates like Walmart, who impose
such wages on their employees while raking in more profits that most small
countries, and returning none of the benefit to the local community.

In
order for people to support their economy, they have to be able to participate
in it. If local and small-businesses are to survive, their employees have to be
able to use them. It’s a Maine tradition to be self-reliant and dedicated to
our communities. Divesting from multinationals and investing in our local
economy could be the next big step for Maine’s future. Positive market changes
come with time and faith, and the opportunity to begin may only be a few weeks
away.

Question
V: Do you want to allow voters to rank their choices of candidates in
elections for U.S. Senate, Congress, State Senate, and State Representative,
and to have ballots counted at the state level in multiple rounds in which
last-place candidates are eliminated until a candidate wins by majority?

“Ranked-choice
voting is a method of casting and tabulating votes in which voters rank
candidates in order of preference, and tabulation proceeds in rounds in which
the last-place candidate(s) are defeated and the candidate with the most votes
in the final round is elected,” as summarized in the bill. With the
embarrassing happenings of our 2010 state election, and the continuing nature
of our current election, Question V comes as a blessing.

Ranked-choice
would replace Maine’s caucus system and would differ from the typical mode of
primaries by eliminating the continuing bias for a two-party system. Instead of
getting down to the wire and woefully differentiating between red or blue, this
system would better facilitate third-party and independent candidate
consideration. It would clarify voter preference, and determine the best
candidate through the views of Maine’s constituency.

For
example, if Maine wanted Bernie Sanders to be president, and really didn’t want
Donald Trump to be president, they could vote in order of Bernie Sanders,
Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump, to distance themselves from the prospects of
a Trump presidency. Similarly, if Mainer’s were morally opposed to Clinton,
they could order their ticket Sanders, Stein, Johnson, Trump, Clinton to
ultimately disqualify Clinton from consideration.

If
passed, Maine will be the first state in America to initiate ranked-choice
voting. After the past few elections, it may become a bright and shining
example of political progressivism. To be able to determine specifically which
candidates one prefers, in order, is one of the most democratic proposals to
date. Portland embraced ranked-choice for mayoral elections in 2011.

Auditions for One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest were recently held at the Windham
Town Hall. This production, directed by Rob Juergens piqued my interest because
I loved watching this iconic film. I decided to attend the auditions, as a
writer first and actor second. As the latter I failed. To be honest, the last
time I acted was over a half century ago; well on a stage anyway if you get my
drift.

Anyway, this was a cold reading. I had
no idea what a cold reading was and even now I am not sure if I had I would
have tried out. My guess was this type of casting was done to weed out, in the
interest of time, those who have little or no experience.

Reading cold simply means reading from
the script without memorizing the lines. If this wasn’t difficult enough I was
given the task of reading for the part of McMurphy, the lead role played by
Jack Nicholson. Perhaps this was due to the fact that my scalp is follicly
challenged. I’ll never know. What I do know is, or rather what I learned was,
that reading doesn’t mean just reading.

Entering the door of the town hall, I
was entering a portal into another realm. Thankfully the individual who was
handing out the forms to fill out was pleasant and with a sense of humor.

“I do not usually do this sort of thing
so I am not sure what I am doing,” said Gail White. White is on the board of directors
of the Windham Center Stage Theater and through her children, former producer
of children’s productions. This would snap me, albeit temporarily, back into
reality.

While sitting in the waiting area I had
the opportunity to dwell on the advice given to me by an experienced actor
waiting for his opportunity to shine. “The best advice I can give you is just
relax. Easier said than done (tell me about it) I know, but it helps,” said 44-year-old
Randy Hunt, who just moved to the area in May from Bangor. “I used to get
nervous about auditions, but I pretty much got over it. If it happens, it
happens. There are plenty of shows out there, especially in this area,” he
continued.

“Try to make as much eye contact as
possible while reading and don’t make it sound as if you are reading from a
book,” Hunt advised. Sounds easy enough, I thought. I’ve read in front of a
congregation before and on a professional level when in an upper management
position. However, the intimidation factor in those situations is non-existent.
It’s all a state of mind. Yet I could not help look at the panel of three
individuals sitting behind a table critiquing and knowing this is an attempt to
do something they knew I have basically never done before.

After the fact I received the same
insight, with a little extra, from Juergens. “For new people the best things
they can do are relax, have fun, let it loose and swing for the fences. If you
can, get a small part in a large play.”

Auditions are also often a hit-or-miss
type of thing. “Straight shows are different than musicals, and sometimes it
depends on the actual show. Apparently there was a lot of interest in Cuckoo’s
Nest; the turnout was very strong. There were a lot of veteran and talented auditioners.
There were only a couple of first-time actors,” said Juergens

This can make casting challenging. “Casting
is very tricky. Voice is an important quality-especially when I know we are not
using microphones. So I look for volume and diction, as well as tone. A flat,
monotonous reading is a bad sign, even on a cold reading. I also look for some
type of characterization, so that I can see if the auditioners can bury
themselves in a role. When I get caught up in a reading I know that I am
hearing something good. And sometimes I just guess,” continued Juergens.

How much one should expect to dedicate depends
on the show. “Musicals add singing and dancing so they are larger commitments.
Smaller cast shows tend to focus the rehearsal process. At any rate, two to
three rehearsals a week is common, with more as you get into the week before
the show, commonly called Hell Week, Heck Week or Tech Week,” Juergens added.

Besides the obvious, the benefits of being a cast member can be enriching. “Casts
become like families. Something about the shared creative process draws people
together. Acting is also great for anyone who has to deal with the public,
since it improves volume and diction. It is also a nice way to give to the
community. And lastly it’s just a lot of fun,” concluded Juergens.

As I was leaving and telling those
waiting to read about the outcome of my performance, and I use that term
loosely, I thought about the lobotomy the character I was reading for endured. I
felt I had just gone through that procedure and all I could do was smile. I
told those in the lobby waiting to break a leg and when the door closed behind
me I began to laugh aloud. I was happy my day job was secure.

Balancing a checkbook, getting bills in the mail, writing
the checks and sending them back out is a pretty common occurrence in most
households. The Money Minders program from Southern Maine Agency on Aging
matches trained and bonded volunteers with clients who need help managing their
daily and monthly budgets including paying bills in a timely manner.

With this type of help, adults over age 55 can continue to
live independently, while preserving dignity and privacy.

The free, individualized program can be tailored to meet the
needs of each client, according to program coordinator Nancy Gray, who started
with the program over the summer.

“I was particularly interested in this position at the
Southern Maine Agency on Aging because I helped my aunt as she got older, and
when I saw this program and how it helps, I could see that a program like this
would’ve helped my aunt a lot,” she said. Unfortunately, Gray didn’t know about
this program at the time.

Most of the clients drive, cook and are very active, they
just have trouble balancing their checkbook register, Gray said.

Most clients see a Money Minder once a month. There are
options for visits more often if needed.

The Money Minder program has a strong volunteer base, but
finding volunteers where there are clients and vice versa proves to be tricky
in some areas. There are a few volunteers in the Windham and Raymond areas and
clients who are using the program now. There is always room for more volunteers
and clients, Gray said.

There are requirements for eligibility into the program.
Clients must have an annual income of less than or equal to $45,000 or $55,000
for two people and liquid assets of no more than $100,000, not including
primary residences, first car or retirement accounts.

“As you get older, people have trouble with numbers,” Gray
said. “Keeping track of bills and when the bills are due, gets more challenging
as they get older.”

There are many safeguards put into place to protect the
volunteer and the client including not having more than $3,500 in the checkbook
they are working with. The client is the only one who signs the checks. The
clients also provide access to the bills and bank statements and have a desk or
table where the volunteer can work.

The volunteer can help with creating a basic budget, opening,
organizing and sending out mail, writing checks, but not signing them,
balancing a client’s checkbook and assisting creditors and referring resources
to the client.

“There are a lot of checks and balances to make sure
everything is done in a manner the client will be happy with,” Gray said.
Services are offered in York and Cumberland counties.

The volunteers have financial training, with many having
backgrounds in banking and accounting. They are also teachers and attorneys.
One question Gray asks new volunteers is “Are they the ones in their family
that balances their checkbooks?”

“The volunteers get the sense of satisfaction that they’re
helping someone who might not be able to stay in their home,” Gray said.

The office for Money Minders is in Scarborough. For more
information, to volunteer or enlist the services of Money Minders, call
207-396-6538 or email ngray@smaaa.org.